Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young princess lived in a shining castle on top of a cliff overlooking the sea. Her name was Lila. The princess was a sweet girl with a backbone of steel and a temper that was slow to arouse but once brought to light almost impossible to douse. She had hair the color of wheat and eyes the color of the sky after a thunderstorm. Freckles dotted her nose and shoulders like cinnamon in a bowl of milk. She was the only child of a beloved king and queen and was doted on by them and the entire court. What she wanted, she received, from fencing and magic lessons to tutoring in astronomy and agriculture. She would have been quite content to spend her life as she had her first fifteen years, learning everything she could and spending time with those she loved.
But then she turned sixteen. And as anyone who has ever read a fairytale knows, sixteen is when things tend to happen to princesses...

From the diary of Princess Lila of Yond

Saturday the Twelfth of March, 1679

Dear Diary,
Today is the day I turn sixteen. My governess, the Lady Colette, has given me this journal since, as she says, young ladies sometimes need to get their thoughts out privately. I assume she also believes this will help my memory since, truth be told, I am very forgetful. If I put things down for one moment I forget where it is and won't be able to find it again for weeks at a time. And so I plan to write down my life as accurately as possible in the hopes that I can improve my memory. And save this so I may remember the most important year of my life in years to come.
First, I shall introduce myself as I know myself. I am just sixteen, as I have already mentioned. I have long, pale hair that curls at the ends. Mostly I wear it in a simple braid to keep it out of my way. My eyes are pale blue. I am of middling height for a girl, neither tall nor short. My favorite thing to do is learn new things, mostly through reading. But I am not adverse to practical lessons. To date, I can fence tolerably well, cast a few useful spells, cook well, sew fairly, swim poorly and ride a horse both sidesaddle and astride, among other talents, both useful and useless. My mother, the Queen of Yond, does not approve of the fencing, cooking or astride horse riding, but since I am the only child of her and my father, the King, I have been allowed. My least favorite thing to do is chatter idly. Unfortunately this seems to be the primary pastime for most of the nobility that surround me.
I do not dislike my life as a princess. I know my duty to someday rule the people, and I will be a good and fair Queen, like my mother is now. But I wish that I did not have to chatter, especially to people I do not know. I am rather shy when I meet new people.
We're to have a ball tonight to celebrate my birth. While in truth I do not usually care for balls, this one is special. My mother the Queen has invited all of my friends and many courtiers. Lady Colette says there may even be some foreign dignitaries come to honor me in their countries' names. I would rather have a new book or lessons in how to milk a cow. While this is not a very princess-like activity, I think it would be useful to know.
My maid, Iris, is now telling me it is time to get ready for the ball. I will come back to this later, after the ball.

Late the same night...
Stars and stones, I am numb. Of all the things that could have happened, I had honestly not expected this. Though I knew something like this would happen eventually, I had not expected it so soon. But I jump ahead of myself...
Father and Mother have announced that I am to be married in exactly one year, on my seventeenth birthday. They have presented candidates from among the court and even a foreign prince. I am tasked with choosing one. By royal custom, I am the only one who may make the decision.
Oh gods, how could they? How could my parents force this upon me? How could I not have seen it? And how can I choose on my own?
Again, I jump around. Whoever reads this in the future will most certainly be confused. Let me go back to the beginning of the evening.
As soon as Iris dressed me in the new gown Mother had given me, I was called into my parents' chamber. My mother was sitting at her desk, writing a letter. Father was by the fire, reading a book on the breeding of winged horses. I get my studious nature from Father, or so Mother always tells me when she is frustrated with me for having my nose in a book instead of being at my dancing lessons. Mother looked up at me and smiled when I walked in the room. I may have Father's mind but I take after Mother in looks. We both have the same blonde hair and blue eyes and freckles. I curtseyed to my parents, as is expected of me. "Hello, Mother. Hello, Father," I said. "How fare you this evening?"
Father chuckled and closed his book. "Lila, my child, come here." I smiled and run to him, into his arms. He swept me up into a hug and kissed my forehead. "Happy birthday, my dear girl."
"Thank you, Father," I said.
"Here," he said, handing me a wrapped parcel. "A gift for you." I opened it to find an old tome on the art of statecraft written by my great-great grandmother. Much better than a dress, though I did not say this out loud.
"Oh, it's lovely," I said. "Thank you."
"Lila," my mother said from her desk. She smiled at me and held out her arms for a hug. I go to her and kiss her cheeks, smelling the lavender scent she prefers. "Happy birthday."
"Thank you, Mother," I said. "And thank you for the dress," I continued, running my hand over the lavender silk. It is richly embroidered with flowers and birds. "It is lovely."
"It is lovely because you wear it," she said with a smile. She indicated a chair off to one side of her desk. "Sit, my dear. We have something we want to discuss with you." I sat as gracefully as I could, but I admit my mind was elsewhere. All I wanted was to open my new book and start reading. She looked at me a moment as if thinking of what she would say next. Finally, after an eon, she took a deep breath and her smile fled from her face. "Lila. Today you are sixteen. And today is the day you start behaving like the Queen you will be one day. There will be challenges ahead of you, my dear. But I have every confidence you are adequately prepared for what is to come."
"Mother," I said as blood drained from my face. "What are you saying?"
She smiled again and touched my cheek. "What is about to happen cannot be undone. But know that everything is your choice. Only you can decide your fate." A brisk knock on the door stopped her from going on. A servant came in to announce that all the guests had arrived and it was time for us to make our entrance. Mother nodded and stood, Father following. With much trepidation I followed as well, clutching my book to my chest like the lifeline it was.
I have been to the grand ballroom many times in my life. I played there as a child, I had my dance lessons there, I have attended every kind of party imaginable upon those marble floors. But I have never seen it as full as it was tonight. People were packed into the space until there was hardly room to breathe let alone dance. I stood at the top of the staircase leading down to the floor, just behind and to the side of my father. I realized then that the book was not a proper thing to have and tried to hide it behind my skirt. Mother began talking to the crowd, who went silent as soon as she started talking. I need to learn how she does that.
"My lords and ladies, we gather here today to celebrate the sixteenth birthday of our daughter, Princess Lila. As is tradition, the Presentation will be made to her at the ball's end. But now, let us eat, drink and be merry, and toast the health of our most beloved daughter." She started to applaud and the nobles followed suit. I wished I could hide but stayed firm in my place, smiling and nodding my head as I have been taught. I don't like such public adulation.
The ball went as all the rest of the balls I have attending: dancing, eating, flirting, too much movement and noise. I tried to be as charming as possible but my thoughts kept drifting to the Presentation. I had heard of it, of course, but details had always been annoyingly vague. As my father always says, it is not useful to have information if it is not all of the information. I danced with several different men, some of whom I had never seen before.
When the clock struck twelve, Mother took to the top of the stairs again and there was silence on the floor. "Princess Lila, please join us." The crowd parted for me like water before a boat. I certainly felt a bit adrift, but whether it was from nervousness or residual emotional high from all of the dancing I still do not know. As I stepped up the stairs, my mother beamed at me and held out her hands for me to grasp before the whole of the court. "My dear, be brave," she said. "And remember that no one can force you." Before I could ask what she meant, she turned back to the crowd. "Will the candidates step forth?"
To my surprise and horror, six young men, all of whom I had danced with this night, came out of the crowd and stood in a single line at the foot of the stairs like it had been rehearsed. They were all richly dressed but beyond that looked nothing alike. Mother kept talking as I stood in shocked silence, staring at the young men.
"My lords and ladies, our daughter is now sixteen. As is tradition, she will have six months to choose from among these young men her future King and partner or lose her right to rule. Only she can make the choice of who she will bind herself to for the rest of her life, as have all the queens of our line." She nods and there is once again applause. They are applauding my being forced into love and marriage. "These candidates have been chosen from among some of the best houses in our kingdom and those neighboring. They are..." (as she called each name, they stepped forward and bowed) "Lysander Deuxyeux, Count of Stone Mountain. Lord Castiel of the Marchlands. Kentin Ivesgrott, son of the Duke of Salls. Viscount Dake of Southsea. Armin of Tourn, son of the Baron of Tourn. And His Highness, Prince Nathaniel of Rus." At this name, the court gasped and began to whisper. The kingdom of Rus is our neighbor and a large and reportedly wealthy kingdom. Alliance with them through marriage would only benefit our country. But oh, how could I? How could Mother? How could any of them want to be forced into this farce of love and courtship? I had wanted to fall in love but not like this.
I can't write any more. My hand is shaking from rage and fright. How could this happen to me?